


Finding Happiness

by Emmajones830



Category: Sanditon (TV 2019)
Genre: Healing, Meant To Be, Past Relationship(s), True Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-15
Updated: 2020-12-15
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:55:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,784
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28092771
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Emmajones830/pseuds/Emmajones830
Summary: A short one-shot catching up with our characters 2 years after the finale.
Relationships: Charlotte Heywood & Sidney Parker, Eliza Campion & Sidney Parker
Comments: 16
Kudos: 27





	Finding Happiness

**Author's Note:**

> This is not my typical Sidlotte lovey-dovey type of fic. It is more of a “what if” type of scenario if the ending of the show remains what it currently is. I am not out here trying to offend people or trigger someone. I write what comes to my mind and in this situation it was this. I wrote it for multiple reasons and even though I know Jane would have ended her Sanditon with Sidlotte, I am basing this off the show. I always appreciate the fact that anyone reads my writing. It amazes me people take the time, but sometimes I need to do something different. You’ve been warned. Make it a great day!

Sidney Parker sat in his parlor swirling the golden bourbon in his tumbler. The noisy streets of London had grown quieter over the past couple of hours. The past week had put him into a nostalgic mood since his home was being packed away. They would soon be relocating to the beautiful countryside and the estate that he had recently acquired with the help of his friend, Lord Babington. He glanced at a piece of paper that one of the servants must have dropped on the floor. It had been Tom’s and he didn’t understand how it had ended up in his possession. It was a small sketch of the Sanditon shoreline and more memories came back to him. The past few years had been very chaotic with the rebuilding of Sanditon, but now it was over. He could rest easy knowing that now he could focus on those that matter most to him.

As he stared at the crackling fire that warmed the room those memories brought back feelings that now seemed so foreign to him. What a fool he had been, he thought to himself. The annoyance he felt every time that Tom had asked for help, the anger he had felt as he saw the newly built residences burn, and if he went back further, the number of times he had gone to a brothel searching for something to fill a void he knew couldn’t be satisfied.

Now he sat in his home a new man with an overwhelming feeling of joy. It was a feeling he never imagined having again. The journey to this point had been filled with so many ups and downs, and he smiled fondly. Even the harsh memories he could look at now with appreciation. Times of tribulation shape you into a new person, a better person.

He finished his glass of bourbon and he placed it on the table. His eyes felt heavy and he started to doze off. Suddenly, he heard his infant son start to cry upstairs. Young William wasn’t the best sleeper. They had a maid to help, but both Sidney and his wife realized how much they liked being more hands-on. Sidney had allowed their help to go home early for the night, and before she left he had assured her that he could handle the baby alone.

The fact that he even had a child of his own was amazing to him. He had dreamed of it before but never thought it would happen. He assumed he would be a bachelor until the end of his days and that the only children he would hold would be his nieces and nephews. Sometimes he felt like a fool to think otherwise.

Sidney straightened himself out and started to walk upstairs. As he entered the hallway a cold rush of air hit him. He had told the servants before to make sure all the windows were closed before they left. He slowly had a strange feeling come over him as he entered the nursery. For a moment he thought it was his wife standing before him holding their precious child, but after he rubbed his eyes he realized the blonde hair was not that of his wife. It was longer and a harsher tone. Slowly the woman holding his child turned around. Sidney stood there in shock as he saw Charlotte Heywood standing before him. Strands of her brown hair poking out from beneath the blonde wig she was wearing. There were dried tear stains on her cheeks and her eyes were red from crying. She looked at the baby and smiled.

“Hello Mr. Parker”

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

“I really don’t know how I can thank you, Esther.” Eliza smiled as she looked over the embroidered napkins. “I wanted to make sure we had these before leaving, but I just didn’t have time to pick them up.”

“It was no trouble whatsoever. I was already headed that way." Esther said as she looked at several parcels in the room. "I cannot wait to see your new home this spring. I have admired that house from afar for some time."

"I must admit I am quite excited myself. This will be the first house that actually feels like a home."

"I know that feeling."

"Before I leave I would like to say something, if I may," Eliza took a deep breath before continuing, "I want to apologize for my previous behavior."

"There is no need to-" Esther replied understandingly.

"No, I really must. I know that we get along well now, but I never addressed how poorly I acted when we were first acquainted. I do regret that I wasn't warmer to you or to anyone, to be honest."

"I know what it is like to put up walls, Eliza, and I also know how much courage it takes to tear them down." Esther placed her hand on Eliza's forearm and gave her a small squeeze. Eliza smiled at her. She felt so grateful to finally have a true friend. The majority of those she had surrounded herself with previously weren't really her friends. They were women who had just used her for her money and connections. They gossiped behind her back and made her feel insecure. It was a world that had consumed her the moment her father had forced her to marry Mr. Campion.

Eliza and Esther said their goodbyes, and she got in the carriage back to her and Sidney's London home. It was getting darker and she had stayed out a little later than she should have, but she couldn't wait to get back to her son and Sidney. Just thinking of him brought a smile to her face. How different her life had been just two short years ago. She remembered that moment she saw Sidney at the London ball. The memories of young love that she had pushed far from her mind had come back to her like it was yesterday. He looked so handsome on the dance floor, and she watched him look at his dance partner with the same eyes he once stared at her with.

She had been shocked by the pain she suddenly felt in her chest as she watched them. Had things gone the way they should have she would be the one in his arms, dancing the night away with her husband. Eliza had learned very well how to put on a fake smile and pretend that all was well. She had ten years of practice, but ten years didn't heal the hurt of her broken heart.

Eliza always had a romantic view of the world and had often fantasized of being swept off her feet by a handsome suitor. She didn't expect it to become reality so soon, but Sidney Parker had entered her life and had turned it upside down. They had spent nearly every day together and the moment he had proposed to her she knew they would be together forever. It was as though she was walking on clouds, and the excitement she felt inside almost couldn't be contained.

The night she learned that her fantasies would not become reality was burned into her mind. She was alone in the drawing-room of her family's home sketching flowers and her imaginary wedding dress when her father entered the room. She could tell immediately by the look on his face that whatever words were about to leave his mouth were not going to be pleasant, but she didn't expect them to be as gut-wrenching as they were. He had made a business deal with an older gentleman, Mr. Campion, a very lucrative one at that, but the older man had a stipulation. He had demanded to marry her. They had only met a few times at societal events and even though the man wasn't a horrendous bore, he wasn't an agreeable man. She remembered how she had cried all night. When she would sleep she dreamt of running away with Sidney, escaping from the madness that her life was becoming. Instead, she had to write to the man whom she loved with her whole being and tell him that she could no longer marry him. Her marriage was rushed since Mr. Campion had a trip to the Indies planned and wanted to be wed before he left. She could still feel the tear that fell down her cheek on her wedding night. She squeezed her eyes tightly as she felt like she was betraying the man she truly loved.

Eliza had quickly assumed the role of dutiful wife. She smiled when she was supposed to, did her wifely duties, and tried to be grateful that she didn't have to want for anything. She had a friend in her maid, Sally, who would keep an ear open for news of Sidney. She had heard the rumors of his downward spiral and with every new item of gossip, her heart broke more. The day Sally had told her that Sidney Parker would be going to Antigua was a day that changed her forever. Sally and Eliza had snuck down to the docks and she watched from afar as his brother Tom said his goodbyes to his beloved brother. When the women returned home, Mr.Campion was there and not too happy that his wife had been in such a dreadful part of town. He terminated Sally on the spot, and after that Eliza entered a world of loneliness.

She didn't trust the women who surrounded her. Her husband was always cold and distant. The friends she had prior to marriage her husband had cut off from her. Even when she had longed for a child, someone she could love with all her heart and focus her energy on, he denied her. She watched herself turn into the type of person she had despised. It was a lonely ten years for Eliza Campion.

The night Sidney Parker had walked into her life again she felt her old self suddenly wake up, but the walls she had built up weren't so easily removed. When he stayed in London for the week she realized that he was a different man than that of his youth. She was a different woman and had hoped somehow they would find their way back to each other, but she couldn't deny what she had seen with her own eyes at the regatta. Something was happening between him and the young Miss Heywood. Charlotte was a beautiful young woman with characteristics she did not share any longer, maybe she had once before life had gotten a hold of her. She felt jealous, but she left when Sidney dismissed her. She wouldn't beg again for him to look at her fondly and try to rekindle what they had.

She never expected him to show up at her door one night asking for a loan to save his brother from debtor's prison. She had heard of the horrible fire that happened in Sanditon but never imagined Tom Parker would be daft enough to not purchase insurance. She thought for a moment of loaning them the money. She had plenty of it, but something came over her and she made the same stipulation to Sidney that Mr. Campion had made to her father those years ago. If he wanted her money, he would have to marry her. He reluctantly agreed, and soon after she was filled with guilt.

What followed that was a push and pull relationship filled with arguments and old wounds being ripped back open. It was the latter that allowed them to finally start over. Sidney had learned the truth of their broken engagement and slowly they reconnected. They became closer than they had ever been, and one day she realized she was in love with the man Sidney now was and not the fantasy she had held so long in her head. The night he had admitted that he felt the same way was when she finally let go of the past and focused on the future.

They were truly happy and both free from the traumas of the past. They both knew they needed to build a home away from the city and away from Sanditon especially now that they had welcomed their son. It had been a very eventful two years and she wouldn't have changed any of it.

The carriage arrived at their London home and Eliza rushed inside. She longed to see Sidney and couldn't wait to be back in his arms. She looked in the parlor and saw his empty bourbon glass, but he was nowhere to be seen. She walked upstairs and thought she heard his voice. She walked towards the nursery and as she rounded the corner she saw a blonde woman holding William. Immediately she recognized the woman as Charlotte Heywood.

"Charlotte?" Eliza shrieked as she watched the distraught woman cradle her son.

_____________________________________________________________________

Charlotte stood before Sidney and Eliza not truly understanding what she was even doing there. All she knew was that her heart ached. She looked at the Parkers and then glanced down at their son. The boy had blonde hair like his mother, but the brown intense eyes of his father. She hadn't seen either of them for over a year and had only heard of the birth of their son recently. Georgiana had told her a few weeks ago. She knew Georgiana didn't speak too much of Sidney due to the events of the past, but Charlotte was happy for him. He had rekindled an old love and from everything she had heard, mostly from Tom, he seemed to have settled into married life quite well.

"What are you doing here, Miss Heywood?" Sidney's voice broke the silence. He seemed calm.

Charlotte breathed heavily as a few more tears ran down her face. They both could smell the alcohol on her.

"I don't even know." Her voice was uneven. "I just-"

The baby began to cry again and Charlotte started rocking him again.

"Charlotte, please give William to me," Eliza said as tears started to fill her eyes.

Charlotte looked at the baby again and held him closer.

"I am not going to hurt him" Charlotte stated. "I just. I didn't know what to do."

"What has happened?" Sidney asked, still keeping his voice calm. His heart broke for the woman in front of him. He had never seen anyone look so upset and the Charlotte that now stood before him didn't seem anything like the one he once knew.

"Mr. Flynn-" Charlotte let out a sob. Eliza recognized the name and started searching her memory as to where she heard it before. She then recalled Mary speaking of Charlotte's engagement last Christmas. Charlotte collapsed to the floor still holding baby William. Sidney started to move forward, but Eliza stopped him. She instead walked over to Charlotte and sat beside her.

"Mr. Flynn?" Eliza asked and she started to rub Charlotte's back.

"I received word that his ship has been lost at sea." Charlotte started to cry uncontrollably. Sidney made his way to the women sitting on the ground. He sat beside Charlotte and she let him take the baby from her arms. He handed the child to Eliza who stood back up and went to the corner of the room.

"Oh Charlotte, I am so very sorry," Sidney said as she wrapped her arms around him. She cried into his shoulder.

"No, I am sorry. I should never have come here and you must think me mad." Charlotte cried. "Which maybe I am. I just needed to go somewhere with a familiar face even if it is one I haven't seen in some time."

When Sidney had initially walked into the room he seemed like a stranger to her, but now as she was looking into his face she saw the man she had once almost married. She removed the blonde wig she was wearing, realizing how truly insane she must look.

"I had come back from a costume party. The letter was waiting for me." She started to cry again. "I never thought I would love someone as much as I loved you, but he found me, he healed me, and he loved me more than I thought possible. I love him more than I thought I could. He is my everything. "

Charlotte recalled the handsome blonde-haired man that she met when she returned to Willingden. She had been heartbroken after she left Sanditon and for a month didn't open letters from Georgiana or Mr. Stringer. She had wrapped herself up in books and chores. Mr. Flynn would not be brushed aside, though, and no matter how hard she tried she couldn't resist his humor and hard-working nature. They would sit and talk for hours to the dismay of Alison who would draw nearby as they spoke. He confessed his love to her knowing that he would patiently wait for her to open her heart to him. He didn't know that she already loved him. He had joined the navy to build a military career for himself. He had offered his hand in marriage which she accepted before he could even get all the words out. She felt pure bliss.

"I'm sorry. I just wanted to see hope." Charlotte said as she wiped her tears.

"Hope?" Sidney asked.

"I know this may sound strange, but you found happiness after all these obstacles. You two made your way back to each other. You have a beautiful baby. I just wanted to know it was real and I wanted to know that it's possible for me." Charlotte started to cry again. "Why can't I have my happily ever after?"

"I have no doubt that you will, Miss Heywood" Sidney looked at Eliza before proceeding. "I cared for you deeply and know that you will find happiness. I feel dreadful that you are going through this."

Charlotte could tell Sidney was being truthful. She knew as she sat beside him just how much he had shaped who she was now. She learned to not take anything for granted and to love with all you have when you have the chance. He wasn't her meant to be and that was okay. She knew who was and right now she was dying inside wishing she could see the smile that could light up the darkness the currently surrounded her. The smile of her dear Mr. Flynn.

"In another life, we would have been married. I would be the mother of your child." Charlotte whispered to Sidney as she stared at the floor. "I wouldn't know the heartache that I know now,"

Charlotte slowly stood up and straightened out her dress. She glanced at Eliza and Sidney and nodded.

Three months had passed by and Charlotte had barely gotten out of bed. Lady Susan had made sure she had made her way back home to Willingden after the incident at the Parkers house. Eliza and Sidney had never breathed a word of it to anyone and after Charlotte confessed her behavior to Lady Susan, she advised her to never speak of it again. A broken heart makes you act in ways you don't understand.

"Charlotte, mother wants us to go into town and pick up a parcel," Alison said to her at breakfast. "She said you need some sunlight. You are looking pale."

Charlotte felt like protesting but agreed that air would do her some good. After they were done eating, Charlotte put on her bonnet and they made their way into town. It annoyed Charlotte how everyone could go about their lives while she felt so empty. Life had been harsher than she expected. There were moments of optimism, but the bad still outweighed the good. She looked at the children in town playing and wished for a moment that she could go back in time. She would love to just start over and try to avoid the heartbreak, but the second the thought crossed her mind she knew it wasn't what she truly would want. She had loved and been loved and that was a very special thing.

Alison walked ahead of her while Charlotte looked at the flowers that were starting to bloom. She looked up ahead to see that Alison was now speaking to someone on the road. Charlotte's heart started to race when she saw the light reflecting off the blonde hair in the distance. The figure dropped the bag they were holding and started running towards her. She felt like she was in a dream and that at any minute she would wake up. She almost pinched herself but she couldn't feel her body. She was frozen where she stood as the figure got closer. She finally saw the smile upon his face and she collapsed in tears. Mr. Flynn slid through the dirt to her. He swooped her up in his arms.

"Oh, my dear Charlotte!" He exclaimed.

"Are you real? Are you really here with me?" Charlotte cried as she put her hands upon his face. "I have dreamt of this moment so many times, but I told myself it could never happen."

"It's me. I'm here." He kissed her forehead and then her cheek. Charlotte grabbed onto him and never wanted to let him go.

"Where have you been?" Charlotte asked as the tears continued to flow.

"It's a long story. Our ship had come under attack. None of it matters right now." They held each other in the middle of the road, both of them finally feeling whole once again.

"Edward, I didn't know how I would go on without you." Charlotte cried. "I love you."

"The thought of you kept me going, my dear Charlotte. I love you." Edward wiped the tears from her eyes and kissed her forehead again. She breathed him in and took a few minutes to accept that this was all real. Her Mr. Flynn had came back to her. He helped her to her feet and they walked back towards the family home. Charlotte couldn't stop crying or smiling. The amount of joy she felt was indescribable. She took off her bonnet and let her hair down. The breeze blew through her chocolate brown strands and a feeling of peace washed over her.

Her journey had been full of learning experiences and heartbreaks that she never could have dreamed of when she had first left Willingden. There were times when she was naive and times when she thought she would never recover from the harshness of the world. At this moment though, she knew that each hardship was worth the true love she had found.

**Author's Note:**

> This one-shot was very different from the others I have written. I will always be Sidlotte forever, but I wanted to play around here a bit and have a different take on Eliza. In my first fanfic, the continuation I wrote, I didn't perceive her to be as much of a villain as others. I was trying to get my creative juices flowing again and wrote this. I ended up enjoying it. I will forever want Sidney Parker and Charlotte Heywood to find happiness wherever they end up. Thanks.


End file.
